The present invention relates to a method of using a brassiere including a band-shaped support member made of a bendable supporting material and a stiffer shock-absorbing resilient member.
Brassiere products have been worn by women for several decades. For example, a brassiere is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,008. One purpose of brassieres, in general, is to reduce the load of the shoulder bands of the brassieres, particularly when the brassieres are used to hold a heavy bust. However, many women still suffer from back and shoulder ache. This is particularly true for women who participate in sports activities and/or have larger sized breasts. Many attempts have been made to solve this problem. For example, sports bras have been developed that hold the breasts very tight to the body. These types of bras are both uncomfortable and make it difficult for the woman to breathe. There is a need for a better solution that provides adequate support and permits normal breathing.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improvement to the previously known constructions that, in addition to reducing the load of the shoulder bands, also supports the breasts from below and distributes any uneven load from the two breasts, and provides the bust, as a whole, with an improved support without impeding the required breathing movements of the diaphragm, and that generally provides the bearer of the brassiere with a better body position.
The brassiere of the present invention thus reduces the load from the shoulder bands, which is an important advantage, especially for women who are involved with heavy work because the load from the shoulder bands often causes the wrong body posture and, thus, other problems related to the shoulders, neck and back. The shoulder bands also often press on the nerves so that parestesies and numbness occur in the arms and hands of the bearer of conventional brassieres. Tests have shown that the loads on the shoulders are reduced by about 80% by using the brassiere according to the present invention, which results in a substantial reduction of the pressure on the plexus brachialis and cervical nerve roots. Another surprising effect of the present invention is that the ligaments of the breasts are not damaged during exercise and other stringent activities.
Conventional brassieres that are only designed to support the front of the breasts, often cause an improper body position of the woman, which is worsened by the tensions from the shoulder bands. Because the support member of the brassiere and the garment of the present invention extend to at least a portion of the back portion the woman""s body, position when standing up while using the brassiere is improved. The brassiere of the present invention, therefore, prevents improper body posture.
Conventional brassieres often cause problems for breast-operated women who have a prothesis operated into the breast, because the different loads from the two breasts and the lower tight band of the conventional brassieres often wear and irritate the scar of the surgery. There is also a substantial risk for such surgically-operated women to develop lymphodem, which is substantially worsened if the patient carries a brassiere with a large load from the shoulder bands and support bands that are located below the breasts. This risk is thus reduced by the brassiere of the present invention and, because the support member extends from the middle portion of the brassiere to at least a portion of the back portion and the brassiere also, with the exception of the cups, is, preferably, made of an elastic material so that the loads from the breasts are evenly distributed and prevents any unnecessary pain from the surgical scar. Of course, other suitable elastic and un-elastic materials may be used, depending upon the needs of the female users. Also, the cups may be made of a flexible material, if desired.
The brassiere of the present invention also provides the bust, as a whole, with a very good support and is, therefore, suitable for sport activities, especially sports and other physical movements that cause the breasts to move up and down, such as running, aerobics, horse-back riding, tennis soccer and other sports. It is important to properly support the breasts to prevent unnecessary damage to ligaments resulting from jumping and pushing. Because the elastic material and the cups are cut so that a portion of the elastic material between the cups substantially has the shape of an xe2x80x9cupside-down Vxe2x80x9d, the movement of the diaphragm is not impeded noticeably; that is, the breathing is not impeded either. Conventional brassieres have stiff bands that extend over this area and hindered breathing.
According to a preferred embodiment of the brassiere of the present invention, a transverse edge of an end portion of the support member that is turned towards the mid-portion of the brassiere is sloped across at least a portion of the width of the support member. In this way, when the transverse edges of the support members are engaging one another at the middle portion of the brassiere, they form an xe2x80x9cupside-down Vxe2x80x9d. This further promotes the free movement of the diaphragm because the support members do not substantially bear against the diaphragm. Furthermore, the support member does not have any protruding corners that may penetrate into the body fat, such as when the woman bends forward, and the support member generally adapts better to the shape of the body and breasts.
The support members are, preferably, disposed in their own pockets formed in the brassiere. The support member may move a certain extent within each pocket which enables them to smoothly follow the movements of the body and may make such movement easier rather than prevent such movement. Because the support member is not completely fixated, the member is permitted to support and lift the breast in a positive way that gives the bearer of the brassiere great freedom of movement.
The transverse edge of the support member may be provided with a guide device that ensures correct position in the brassiere. It is very important that the support member is in the correct position in the brassiere and, thus, relative to the body of the bearer so that the function is satisfactory. If the support members are misplaced, they do not provide the breasts with the intended support.
More particularly, the support member of the present invention is disposed in each half of the brassiere from an area at a middle point thereof and in a direction towards the back portion of the brassiere. The member is foldable along a longitudinal line that partly extends mainly along a bottom edge of the cup of the half portion of the brassiere so that the use of the portion of the band-shaped support member that is disposed on one side of the line supports the underside of the breast while being support by the other portion that is disposed under the breast and bears against the body of the bearer of the brassiere. The band-shaped member has transverse slits defined therein along the edges of the member so that the support member may adapt to the shape of the breast and the body.
More particularly, the brassiere has a bendable support member disposed therein and a stiffer shock-absorbing resilient member attached to the support member and the brassiere. A woman""s breast bends the support member outwardly along the bendable line to a first position, and the shock-absorbing resilient member is extended from a rest position to a first extended position, and a lower end of the brassiere is pressed against the body. The breast then applies a load on the support member and to bend the support member further outwardly from the first position to a second position and the resilient member is extended from the first extended position to a second extended position. The member and the support member provide a pulling force that is greater than the load of the breast and the support member is then bent inwardly past the first position, and the resilient member is retracted.